Brief group intervention using emotional freedom techniques for depression in college students: a randomized controlled trial.

Church D, De Asis MA, Brooks AJ - Depress Res Treat (2012)

Bottom Line:
Posttests were conducted 3 weeks later on those that completed all requirements (N = 18).Cohen's d was 2.28, indicating a very strong effect size.These results are consistent with those noted in other studies of EFT that included an assessment for depression and indicate the clinical usefulness of EFT as a brief, cost-effective, and efficacious treatment.

ABSTRACTTwo hundred thirty-eight first-year college students were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Thirty students meeting the BDI criteria for moderate to severe depression were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received four 90-minute group sessions of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a novel treatment that combines exposure, cognitive reprocessing, and somatic stimulation. The control group received no treatment. Posttests were conducted 3 weeks later on those that completed all requirements (N = 18). The EFT group (n = 9) had significantly more depression at baseline than the control group (n = 9) (EFT BDI mean = 23.44, SD = 2.1 versus control BDI mean = 20.33, SD = 2.1). After controlling for baseline BDI score, the EFT group had significantly less depression than the control group at posttest, with a mean score in the "nondepressed" range (P = .001; EFT BDI mean = 6.08, SE = 1.8 versus control BDI mean = 18.04, SE = 1.8). Cohen's d was 2.28, indicating a very strong effect size. These results are consistent with those noted in other studies of EFT that included an assessment for depression and indicate the clinical usefulness of EFT as a brief, cost-effective, and efficacious treatment.

Mentions:
Four EFT group therapy sessions were administered within 3 consecutive weeks. Each session lasted 90 minutes. Subjects were dropped from the study if they missed more than one session (n = 2 for EFT group) or failed to compete the final assessment (n = 4 for EFT group, n = 6 for the no treatment group). Posttests for both groups occurred at the end of the 3-week period. Dropouts resulted in a final count of 18 students, and all analysis was performed on this sample. The demographic characteristics of the sample were as follows: 3 were male, and 15 were female; the average age was 16.7 years old, with a range from 16 to 18. No adverse events were reported. The reasons cited by dropouts were lack of time, conflicts with academic requirements, the pressures of exams and class assignments, and forgetting a required group class or assessment completion meeting. See Figure 1 for the CONSORT flow chart.

Mentions:
Four EFT group therapy sessions were administered within 3 consecutive weeks. Each session lasted 90 minutes. Subjects were dropped from the study if they missed more than one session (n = 2 for EFT group) or failed to compete the final assessment (n = 4 for EFT group, n = 6 for the no treatment group). Posttests for both groups occurred at the end of the 3-week period. Dropouts resulted in a final count of 18 students, and all analysis was performed on this sample. The demographic characteristics of the sample were as follows: 3 were male, and 15 were female; the average age was 16.7 years old, with a range from 16 to 18. No adverse events were reported. The reasons cited by dropouts were lack of time, conflicts with academic requirements, the pressures of exams and class assignments, and forgetting a required group class or assessment completion meeting. See Figure 1 for the CONSORT flow chart.

Bottom Line:
Posttests were conducted 3 weeks later on those that completed all requirements (N = 18).Cohen's d was 2.28, indicating a very strong effect size.These results are consistent with those noted in other studies of EFT that included an assessment for depression and indicate the clinical usefulness of EFT as a brief, cost-effective, and efficacious treatment.

ABSTRACTTwo hundred thirty-eight first-year college students were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Thirty students meeting the BDI criteria for moderate to severe depression were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received four 90-minute group sessions of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a novel treatment that combines exposure, cognitive reprocessing, and somatic stimulation. The control group received no treatment. Posttests were conducted 3 weeks later on those that completed all requirements (N = 18). The EFT group (n = 9) had significantly more depression at baseline than the control group (n = 9) (EFT BDI mean = 23.44, SD = 2.1 versus control BDI mean = 20.33, SD = 2.1). After controlling for baseline BDI score, the EFT group had significantly less depression than the control group at posttest, with a mean score in the "nondepressed" range (P = .001; EFT BDI mean = 6.08, SE = 1.8 versus control BDI mean = 18.04, SE = 1.8). Cohen's d was 2.28, indicating a very strong effect size. These results are consistent with those noted in other studies of EFT that included an assessment for depression and indicate the clinical usefulness of EFT as a brief, cost-effective, and efficacious treatment.